Martinsburg daily gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1887-1887, 1887-05-31
soNoRAs LOST MINES.
Ex-Cadct FIipper's nvestigntions-G Going
Through the Old workings.

Capt. Allen Mcintyre, who runs the
Lake Superior company's steamer Peer
less between Chicago and Duluth, has
Just returned from winters sojourn In
Sonora, old Mexico, where he has been
for health and pleasure. As to the re-
ported mineral discoveries, Capt. McIn-
tyre does not pretend to be an authority
in such matters. He brought home sew
cral specimens Of The ore from Taoja
groups, portion Of the 80 chilled lost
mines, but to the eye of experience fl
bonanza The ore Is free milling, but the
highest assay claimed Tor it Il 500 b ton,
and this Is carried In d vein not much
over three or four feet wide. IL IS snid,
however, that much richer ore Is being
worked in feeble way BY the Mexicansin
other parts Of the TaojG group. What
interested me most, = lkid Capt Mcintyre
twas the dreadfully rough country we
had to traverse to get TO this terra incOg
nita. The region lies about 100 miles In
on air line southeast of Torres, station
on the Guaymas branch 81 the Atchison.
end Topeka road. The country b de-
l:ehtful one until you strike the foothills
Of tho Sierra Madrc range, and then 1t be-
comes grandly Wild. Our party clam
bered for miles and rifles where even the
mules could hardly get a footing. =
Were the stories Of Fhpper's finding
some records in an old ruined mission cor
rect?''
Not exactly. Flfpper did make the
acquaintance, however, Of an American
there who had married the niece of
famous old padre, who lived century or
more ago, and this American had large
library, containing some works over 200
years old. FIpper knows Spanish thor
oughly, and he went through some Of
these old books and manuscripts. 1t is
By that means he got an inkling Of where
to look for the abandoned mining regions
of Guynnoca and Tayoja. Flipper and
Kruse went after one and M. ]. Power,
Eliner in Mexico, and myself went for the
other. The story published of ruins of
villages, arastrns, and other remains Of
an abandoned industry are correct. 1t
was mighty interesting to me to go
through these old workings. / believe
within q radius Of mile could have
counted over 100 openings to these lodges.
So far rs we could determine, there are
three lodges corvcrging toward a center.
4 have no doubt that further develop
ment by modern mining methods will
show that these lodges win come together,
though, Of course, that Is only conjecture
been worked IN most primitive method
Evcn now theyiare not wholly Il .andoned
We found ono aged MeyScan with burro
who was getting out ore from d place
where he had tapped one Of the lodges.
lie told us that his burro could carry $50
pounds of ore. This he took some ten
miles down the stream, where enother
-Iexican he'd TN arastra, and there the
ore was worked. Eacil cargo, as he called
the burro's load, Melted him about $50,
but having got that much there was no
more mining until the money was ex-
hausted These mines have no doubt
are valuable, but It win take heavy CAPT
tai to operate them-espe those in
the Tayoja group They are silver mines
much more costly to work. The Guy
anoca mines are gold, and il they are as
represented did not see them-they are
undoubtedly bonanza =
What other evidences do you find that
these mines were worked by the ancientsf'
I'll %, mono, but the ruined adobe houses,
the wrecked ;;rastras and the tunnels that
had ages ago cayed. There were three or
four ancient dumps through which trees
were growing, and | saw one broken
arastra that had IN oak tree nine
or ten inches In diameter running right
up through the bottom. II is years and
years since that arastra was worked.
But, = continued the captain, 81 was more
struck with the agricultural and cattle
raising possibilities of Sonora than any
thing else. rode over thousands and
thousands of acres of as fine grazing and
agricultural lands as the sun ever shone
upon. Men without capital could amass
fortunes here IN no time raising cattle for
the American market. Sonora Is vertically
cattleman's paradise. There is a lovely
climate, abundant water, native grasses
by the. lea0ue. plenty az shade from t'hon